CIF-SS Division 1 Championship Primer

<p>It’s the best time to be a high school basketball fan, coach, parent, reporter, scout or zealot in Southern California as Divisional Championship games will tip off tonight across the Southland. In this capsule we take a closer look at what’s sure to be a good battle between St. Bernard and JSerra</p> <p><strong>St. Bernard at JSerra</strong><br /> <br /> <strong>Key Storyline:</strong> Offense. Both of these teams have the ability to play an explosive and uptempo brand of basketball because of their potent guard play and willingness to push the pace. This is JSerra’s first appearance in a CIF title game since 2014 - a win over Oaks Christian in Division 4AA - and the first appearance in a CIF championship game under coach Keith Wilkinson. St. Bernard won a Division 5AA title in 2012, a Division 5A title in 2015, lost to Rancho Christian in the Division 5A title in 2016.</p> <p><strong>Key Matchup:</strong> The St. Bernard defense against <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="972526" first="Rob" last="Diaz III"]</strong>. The 6-foot-2 lefty scorer has been on an absolute tear in the playoffs for JSerra and the key to beating the Lions is to slow him down as much as possible. Diaz came out firing in the semifinals against St. John Bosco, scoring 15 points in the first half - one less than that of the entire Bosco team - and set the tone for JSerra’s blowout win to advance to the championship game. With the pace St. Bernard likes to play at (which is really fast) Diaz could see some clean looks from three early on and him knocking those down will be crucial for the Lions to come away with a title. Whether it’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="994964" first="Tyler" last="Rolison"]</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="992482" first="Darius" last="Carr"]</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="748754" first="Jason" last="Hart II"]</strong>, or <strong>Rayniel Wright</strong>, one (or more) of the four talented St. Bernard guards will be tasked to contain Diaz.</p> <p><strong>X-Factors:</strong> The x-factors will vary here for both teams just based upon which guy steps up at the best time. We’ve seen St. Bernard have a bunch of different contributors from Rolison to Carr to Hart to Wright, but don’t be surprised if <strong>Malachi Roach</strong>, <strong>James McCallum</strong> or <strong>Kendyl Sanders</strong> play some important minutes and make big plays for the Vikings. The Lions have been riding the Diaz wave throughout the playoffs, but if he can’t get it going from three-point range tonight, who will be there to pick up the slack? Look for sophomore guard <strong>Aidan Fowler</strong>, senior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="748770" first="Dane" last="Persek"]</strong> or senior wing <strong>Joshua Ragsdale</strong> to come through with some clutch plays for JSerra.</p>